Sunday, 22 December 2024
Sunday, 22 December 2024
Padma Vibhushan tabla maestro Zakir Hussain died at a hospital in San Francisco on Monday because of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a progressive lung disease. He was 73.
Born on March 9, 1951, Hussain, who was the son of legendary tabla master Ustad Alla Rakha and was regarded as the greatest tabla player of his generation, had been hospitalised for the last two weeks and was later taken to the ICU after his condition deteriorated.
Condolences poured in on social media as the news of Hussain’s demise spread.
John McLaughlin: ‘The King of Rhythm’
Jazz guitar great John McLaughlin, who created magic with Hussain in the fusion band Shakti, shared a brief message on his Instagram handle. “The King, in whose hands Rhythm became Magic, has left us... RIP my dearest Zakir, we will meet again.”
Zakir Hussain met John McLaughlin in the late 1960s through a shopkeeper at New York’s Greenwich Village. Zakir Hussain was the jazz guitar giant’s Indian vocal music teacher. After Zakir and McLaughlin played together at Ustad Ali Akbar Khan’s home, they changed music forever with Shakti, which was always about the magic of McLaughlin and Zakir.
In February this year, Shakti won the Grammy for Best Global Music Album For “THIS MOMENT.”
Shankar Mahadevan: ‘Greatest rhythm artist in the world’
Singer-composer Shankar Mahadevan,who became part of Shakti in the fusion supergroup's later avatars, expressed his grief for Zakir Hussain in an interview with PTI. “I have lost my biggest inspiration, teacher, and friend. He played a huge role in shaping my musical career. He was the greatest rhythm artist in the world.
We had concerts planned for next month and were working on releasing the live album of Shakti. It’s hard to believe he’s gone. Zakir bhai’s combination of knowledge, expertise, and stage presence is unmatched. Tabla will never sound the same again.”
Trilok Gurtu: ‘there is a big hole in the music industry today’
Percussionist-composer Trilok Gurtu, another long-time associate of Zakir Hussain, told The Telegraph Online: “He used to call me Tillu, a name given to me by my mother. Playing with him in the 1980s in European countries was always challenging and comforting altogether. The series called Promise in which we worked together in 1995 with John McLaughlin was also a memorable one where we worked together in France. Zakir was of my age and he never took much time as he picked up things fast and delivered them in seconds. I feel there is a big hole in the music industry today which can never be filled.”
Anuradha Pal: ‘He is someone with whom I learnt cricket, played tabla, learnt driving and also cut vegetables with’
Tabla player Anuradha Pal recalled how Zakir Hussain inspired her from a young age.
“My grandparents were very active in the art field, especially my grandmother who was fond of music, art and culture and after they passed away, I remember once my parents organised a concert and I was just 5 years old at that point and wandering around the concert area. I happened to enter his green room, he was not there at that time and while I was attracted to his instruments, he entered the room and asked ‘bajaogi (you want to play the tabla)’. It was years back when he introduced this young girl to the world of music and the tabla and ever since then I have not looked back. I was 15 when I played with Zakir bhai for a sangeet research academy event and I was 16 when I played with his father.”
Years later, when they met in Mumbai, Zakir Hussain told Pal that he was proud of how she was revolutionising the tabla.
“When I met him 3 months back in Mumbai, he told me he is so proud of me and the way I am taking tabla forward and revolutionising it in my own way with the new innovations that I had made. He was appreciative of the fact that I was taking tabla to newer audiences. He is someone with whom I learnt cricket, played tabla, learnt driving and also cut vegetables with. To me he was an elder brother. I used to tie rakhi to him.” Anuradha Pal told The Telegraph Online.
Suresh Talwalkar: 'He was a gem of a person'
Veteran tabla player Suresh Talwalkar described Zakir Hussain as a rare combination of talent and humility.
“Zakir bhai made the world recognize the tabla. He wasn’t just a great musician; he was a gem of a person. We used to meet 3 to 4 times a year. Last January he also came to my house. He would help people financially, play for the elderly as well as for modern audiences, and share his positive energy with everyone he met. Such people are born once in centuries. I feel deeply saddened that I could not pay my last respects to him.”
Pandit Ramdas Palsule: 'he treated us like a celebrity'
“I grew up watching and hearing Zakir bhai, like many other tabla players. Because I stay in Pune I witnessed Zakir bhai perform in the city more than 4 to 5 times every year, that too with legendary artists. He changed the language of tabla. I am 12 years younger than him, but whenever I met him, he never showed that he is a senior person and I am a junior guy, he always treated everyone of my generation equally. He was so humble that whenever we met he treated us like a celebrity, he even accepted my 4 to 5 students and took them to perform with him. I feel like my dad is gone.” Palsule told The Telegraph Online.
